The recently appointed interim CEO of the Road Management Traffic Corporation (RMTC), Refilwe Mongale is under fire for, among others, allegedly using a hired BMW 7 Series that costs the taxpayer under R200 000 a month while she has a car allocated to her.
The damning allegations were made in a letter of complaint written by Gugu Nkosi, leader of Progressive Forces of South Africa (PFSA) and sent to the RMTC board Nomusa Mufamadi. The complaint indicates that a luxury SUV has been leased at a cost of approximately R170 000 per month, despite an existing state vehicle being available, said Nkosi.
RMTC, a transformative organisation dedicated to promoting social justice, economic empowerment, and community-driven development, has also made a slew of other allegations against her.
The organisation demanded an immediate investigation into governance, irregularities, retrenchments and institutional capture of RTMC. These allegations emerged after RTMC suspended CEO Adv Makhosini Msibi.
Nkosi stated that leaked management meeting minutes, internal financial documents, and staff testimonies collectively point to a coordinated effort to consolidate power by dispensing patronage while service delivery and institutional integrity suffer.
PFSA said Mongale was allegedly planning to shut down the Centurion and Waterfall walk-in licence renewal centres, which were among the most efficient public-service facilities introduced in recent years.
“Executive and general manager positions have been advertised informally on social-media platforms, bypassing the RTMC’s standard practice of using regulated portals.
Mongale has also been accused of purging senior executives, including the CFO, human resources executive manager of corporate services Nompumelelo Ramutle and supply chain general manager Lehasa Mazibuko, “effectively placing all key control functions directly under her influence in her office”.
These suspensions have occurred despite the Auditor-General previously giving the RMTC a clean audit under Msibi, yet narratives of “financial mismanagement” are now being advanced without substantiation, Nkosi charged in her letter.
RMTC has appointed KPMG to investigate allegations of corruption and governance.
This appointment has raised the ire of PFSA, which claims that KPMG has a conflict of interest because of its historical association with the RMTC audit and risk committee chairperson.
Sunday World can reveal that on July 30, just a month after Mongale took over the reins, a security guard fired at a client at the RMTC headquarters in Centurion.
An entry in the book guards use to record incidents that Sunday World has seen, indicates that there was apprehension that the client had come to attack Mongale.
No case was reported to the police despite a firearm being discharged in a public area.
Mongale’s colleagues have also accused her of using blue light vehicles for her bodyguards to take her kids to and from school.
“Refilwe has bodyguards, and they are taking her kids to school and back. It is not clear how her life is in danger since there is no report that shows that a security assessment was done on her,” said an insider at RMTC.
This week, Sunday World saw more than 20 damaged vehicles belonging to the National Traffic Police parked at the RTMC Traffic Training College at Plot 81, Boekenhoutkloof in Pretoria.
“These cars need to be fixed and get back on the road to patrol and generate revenue for RMTC, but Refilwe closed the workshop and rendered everything useless,” said the insider.
RMTC spokesperson Simon Zwane said the corporation has recently been subjected to a concerted misinformation campaign. “This campaign, executed by faceless people, seeks to tarnish the names of its executives, derail its programmes and demoralise its staff.
Zwane said the RTMC is currently stabilising the corporation and securing its future sustainability.
“The RTMC cannot operate in the old ways it has always done. Changed circumstances require it to streamline its operations, reposition itself and scale up delivery on its mandate if it is to remain relevant to the country.
“The task confronting us is too important for us to quibble and quarrel in public and through the media. Our door remains open for meaningful engagement, and we will respond in detail in appropriate fora,” Zwane said.
